HumaneSpot.org's Most Popular (and Important) Items of 2010

2010 was the biggest year yet for HumaneSpot.org, with more users and more research content to help advocates help animals. The website is the Humane Research Council’s primary means of sharing new research and we’re excited to see that so many of you are making use of HumaneSpot.org and finding it valuable in your work for animals!

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With yet another year in the history books, we thought you might like to see some of the most popular and important items we posted to HumaneSpot.org in 2010. Below you can see the five most popular blog posts, research studies, and web pages of 2010. We’ve also listed a few especially important items that you should be sure not to miss. If we didn’t list one of your personal favorites, please mention it in the comments section.

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Most Popular Humane Thinking Posts of 2010

1. HSUS vs. CCF – Who is Winning?
2. Why Do Some People Oppose Spay/Neuter?
3. Attitudes Toward Social Movement Tactics
4. Using Stories vs. Using Data to Persuade People
5. Nature vs. Nurture: What Science Tells Us About Vegetarianism and Veganism

Most Popular Research Citations of 2010

1. The Animal Tracker (Wave 3 – March 2010)
2. The Credibility of Shock Advocacy: Animal Rights Attack Messages
3. Gender, Power, and Meat Consumption: Vegetarian Political Identity...
4. Comcast Publishes Results of Pet Adoption Trends Survey
5. Views on Animal Experimentation

Most Popular HumaneSpot.org Pages of 2010

1. Humane Thinking (our blog) home page
2. HumaneSpot.org Research Database
3. Animal Tracker Graphing Tool
4. Advanced Search Page
5. HRC’s Research Page

Our Picks for the Most Important Items of 2010

• Consumers Spend Less on Meat When Livestock is in the Media -- “Researchers concluded that media coverage increases consumer awareness of farmed animal production practices, thereby influencing consumer perceptions of meat product quality and consumption for up to six months following the media coverage.”


• The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression -- This paper examines the validity of the theory that certain dog breeds are inherently more dangerous and aggressive than others, and if pit bull-type dogs are actually become more dangerous than they were a century ago...”


• Animal Studies Paint Misleading Picture -- “Published animal trials tend to overestimate the likelihood that a medical treatment will work by about 30%. Researchers suggest that the main cause for this is because negative results during animal trials often go unpublished.”


• Evaluation of Collars and Microchips for Visual and Permanent Identification of Pet Cats -- “This study of 538 cats found that 73% of pet cats still wore collars and had functioning microchips six months after they were placed on the cats. The fewest reports of (problems) loss, forelimbs caught in collars, and mouths caught in collars were associated with the simple buckle collar.”


• Animal Tracker, Wave 3 -- “These results from Wave 3 of the HRC's annual survey of U.S. adults shows strong support for the protection of all animals, but knowledge of some animal issues remains low and the perceived impact of animal advocates is modest.”

Did you have a favorite item that we published in 2010 that didn’t make one of the lists above? If so, please share with your fellow users to ensure they don’t miss a valuable research item. You can use the comment field below to share research references or any other feedback you have. Thanks!